Phillips pleased with starters

Wade Phillips offered a positive assessment Monday of the performance of the starters in the preseason.

The Cowboys enter Friday’s preseason finale at Minnesota with a 1-2 record. But Phillips noted that the first-string offense has produced more than 450 yards and the defense has been tough to score on.

“We’d like to have scored a few more times with all the yardage we’ve made offensively and defensively we’d like to have shut them out,” Phillips said. “But I think we’ve progressed well in the preseason against what you have to measure, which is the other team and how much they’re doing. We’re not there yet, but I feel good about our first group.”

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their reserves are a whole different story. The backups, though, will have a chance to redeem themselves against the Vikings. Phillips indicated strongly that he’ll sit most of his starters in that one.

“We know what Marion Barber’s going to do, what Felix Jones and Tony Romo and those guys are going to do, but it’s unknown whether some of the other guys can help that group or not,” Phillips said. “So we’ll see what they do. It’ll be a good challenge for them.”